An Asian Mutant, Volcanic Formations, & Some Water

Hawaii. Still here, and I have no intentions of leaving. I wish it was that simple.... And since it's not up to me, I will just have to make the best of my time before I go back to less desirable places. Anyway, here are some shots of recent adventures. Enjoy!

Based on the title, which one do you think this is? I'll give you a hint... It's not a volcanic formation, or some water..... 

Blake's big booger blaster blowing up my blog..... BLAH!

A cool spiral staircase near the top of Diamondhead. Diamondhead is a volcanic crater South of Waikiki that was used as an air defense base around WWII. The old concrete bunkers are still scattered around the rim of the crater. This is a staircase that leads to one of these bunkers. 

A lighthouse as seen from the top of Diamondhead. 

Dudes on Diamondhead's dome. 

Looking at Waikiki from the top of Diamondhead. You can see one of the previously mentioned bunkers on top of the next peak on the crater rim.

Hanauma Bay nature preserve. If you have ever been to an indoor aquarium, and said to yourself "I want to jump in there" this place is for you. It's the same thing, minus the glass. Awesome! 

Hanauma Bay Beach before the other 8 million people show up. 

The next few shots are taken from somewhere along the NW end of Oahu. It was near the Blowhole. We stopped to check out the cliffs, and got to watch the power of the ocean as 20 foot waves crashed over the cliffs! When this wave landed on me it was KNEE DEEP on TOP of the cliff.... LOTS of water! 

Look at that water!

That's Blake way down there at the foot of the cliffs. This is right on the shore of Oahu. 

Sunset on the West side of Oahu. 

Dad's here! We got lost driving looking for Sunset Beach, but still found some amazing things to see.....

Hawaii!

I was lucky enough to be sent out to Hawaii of all places for some training. For once, the military did something right I guess. Here are a few shots from my travels in Hawaii on my time off. 

Blake waiting patiently for a burrito big enough for Andre the Giant....

A palm tree on Waikiki beach!

Waikiki beach

A solo surfer paddles by Diamond Head, near Waikiki.

One of the members of our group who had way too much fun the night before.... He spent most of the day in this position while the rest of us surfed. 

A surfer walking out on the jetti near Waikiki for some dawn patrol action. 

A crab. (Just one.)

Paddle boarding 

A local tearing it up on a long board. 

As you can tell by the 7 or 8 surfers on this short stretch of wave, Hawaii can be a crowded place to surf. 

Me on the surf spot. 

Honalulu in the background, palm trees and surfers in the foreground. 

The beach where we spent literally all day. It was a hard day. 

MeTaL MaDnEsS

Recently there was a metal concert in Sasebo, Japan of all places..... I invited some of my friends, but one of the raised a good point - "Who listens to METAL?!". Well, I do. Especially when it's FREE and it gives me an opportunity to shoot some photos of something new. I figured with all the lights and headbanging I would at least come away with a cool shot or 2. It was worth the temporary deafness and braving the mosh pit. (All photos shot in RAW with no adjustments. )

Tokyo + Nasu, Japan

I recently had the opportunity to go to Tokyo and Nasu on vacation. I took 6 days, and spent about half in Tokyo and half in Nasu. Nasu was by far my favorite as it was more of a mountain town, and is home to a lot of volcanoes and geothermal sites.

Looking into the cone of Nasukogen volcano. You can see some people hiking on the trail towards the lower right side of the photo. You could feel the heat and smell the sulfur as you walked by on the trail. One of the signs we read said the temperature of the steam can be as hot as 520 degress C! Even the ground was hot.... 

Another angle on the summit.  

Again I don't know what it says, I just thought it looked cool. I could say that about a lot of my photos from Japan..... 

 Kiyono and I 

We had lunch one day at Zest restaurant in Tokyo. It made me feel like I was back in Idaho with the old west theme and antler chandeliers. 

Kiyono enjoying the view near Mt. Bandi

 The view North from the ridge just below the summit of Mt. Bandi near Inawashiro, Japan. All the mineral deposits from volcanic activity made me miss Yellowstone National Park a lot! 

Two hikers descend from the summit of Mt. Bandi. The guy in the lead had 4 chairs - YES, CHAIRS - strapped to his back with a pack draped over the legs..... Never seen that before. I guess they don't like to sit on the ground in Japan.... 

 Rocks and tress. (Were you expecting more? ) 

A sunset as good as the day was!  Lake Inawashiro at Inawashiro, Japan. 

Kiyono strikes a pose. =) 

The view from the road to the trailhead on Nasukogen Volcano. 

A lizard I found on the trail up Nasukogen. 

Part of the trail up Nasukogen Volcano. Not all of those clouds are actually clouds. Some of that is steam coming from thermal vents in the ground. 

A trail marker in the foreground, and the cone of the volcano in the background. You can see some of the steam coming from the top of the volcano.